


his duty - nay, his privilege

by laurus_nobilis



Category: Brave Police J-Decker
Genre: 5+1 Things, Gen, Gen Prompt Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-02 21:04:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2826059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurus_nobilis/pseuds/laurus_nobilis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Duke tried to make his Lady proud, and one time he didn't need to try.</p>
            </blockquote>





	his duty - nay, his privilege

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Gen Prompt Bingo with the prompt "Steadfast". The title is, of course, a quote from Man of La Mancha.

**i.**

She was the first thing he saw, and she was beautiful.

But that was only the first impression. Duke soon found out that there was so much more to her. She was a true lady, clever and strong and determined, someone he would gladly follow. She brought out the best in him, too. It wasn't just about programming. She kept a close eye on his training, not only as an engineer, but as a guide and teacher. She made sure that every last detail was perfect.

When he tried out the sword for the first time, it was no exception. His pre-programmed moves were not enough for her. It made sense, Duke thought. If he was going to face real opponents, he needed real practice. He knocked down dummy after dummy, listening to her every correction, with more speed and precision each time.

"That's enough, Duke."

He put away the sword and knelt down in front of her, as he always did. She didn't smile (she never smiled) but her expression was satisfied.

"You will make me proud," she said, and there was nothing in the world he wanted more than to prove her right.

 

**ii.**

He was constantly at her beck and call, as a loyal knight should. She didn't always need him, of course, but he didn't mind. He was content with staying near her and watching her work, ready to do whatever she might ask of him. No task would be too menial.

"Duke." She looked up from her computer with a barely concealed sigh. "What are you doing?"

"I was hoping I could be of help."

"Well, you can't help me program," she said. "And you don't need to follow me around all the time like a lost puppy. It's unbecoming of you."

Her words stung, but he didn't let it show. Lady didn't approve of such childish conduct. He stood up and nodded at her, his face nothing but a blank mask, before turning to walk away.

"Understood. It won't happen again."

 

**iii.**

It took him a while to put together the details of Lady's story. She never talked about it, so he never asked. But it seemed to be common knowledge at the police station. That had to be unavoidable, given it was both unusual and recent. People didn't bring it up very often, and certainly not in front of her, but the subject did come up every now and then. Duke learned about it in bits and pieces from half-heard conversations, full of contradictions and false rumours he needed to filter out.

He _was_ a detective, however, and one good enough to eventually reach the truth among all the mysteries and misinformation. Although he had never thought it possible, he found that this knowledge made him respect her even more. She was stronger than he could have imagined. Everything she asked him to do, every way to improve his self-control, she had already mastered.

And he also found that he wanted, more than ever, to be perfect for her.

 

**iv.**

The other members of his team were nice enough, he supposed. He was certain that each and every one of them excelled at his work. There was no doubt of that; Lady would never accept anyone with a subpar performance. Duke got along with them, in a professional sort of way, but they weren't close.

He worked well with the team, of course. He wouldn't have been a good officer at all if he didn't. But he didn't make as much of an effort to get to know them as he did to make himself better. Most of his time was spent training. Perfecting himself. There was always something to correct, something to improve, and this was his main priority.

(Much later, when there was no way back, he regretted this most of all. He suspected Lady felt the same way. He knew for sure that he would never ask.)

 

**v.**

"I'm going to upload a language pack," she told him. "Japanese."

She always explained what she was doing, whenever she changed or updated his programming. Duke usually found it reassuring, but this time, her words made him uneasy. She would never add any superfluous code. So why...?

"That should do it," she said, interrupting his line of thought. "Let's see if it works."

"Yes--"

"Japanese, Duke."

"The upgrade is fully functional," he replied, in the correct language this time. It didn't feel any different from speaking English. In fact, he barely noticed the change. Lady nodded her approval.

"Good. You can switch back to English if you prefer."

"Lady... May I ask why I need this language?"

"You will be stationed in Japan soon," she said, her tone as neutral as ever.

'You'. Not 'we'. The message was loud and clear. Duke felt his A.I. chip spark in a way he could not describe. He would do anything she asked of him, of course. He would go to the end of the world for her. He just didn't know if he was strong enough to _stay_ there on his own.

She looked at him with an unreadable expression. For a moment, he wondered if he was letting his emotions show too much, but the reprimand he was worrying about never came.

"I expect your performance to remain as good as it has always been," she said instead. "This is what you were built for, after all."

"Yes, Lady." He couldn't hold her gaze. "I will make you proud."

 

**vi.**

An eternity later, with the world saved and Deckerd back for good and everyone celebrating, they sat together on the grass a little far from the others. It wasn't about avoiding them, not anymore. Duke had learned that there was joy in sharing his time with friends. So had Lady. But she would have to leave very soon and they needed this moment.

"Are you happy, Duke?" she asked him out of the blue.

"Yes, of course." He hesitated only for an instant before he continued. "Are you?"

She smiled, and she was beautiful.


End file.
